Strong in Christ

 

"Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God..."--St. Paul in his letter to church in Ephesus, from the 6th chapter.

I was riding the bus back to Erd from Budapest (about the distance from Atlanta to Stockbridge) and we passed a couple of churches, both Catholic (probably obvious), one a fairly old (150 years+ in age), and the one pictured above, with this wonderful sculpture of an angel carrying a saint (not sure which one, but not really important here...). The really, really interesting thing is that the saint appears to be armored, leading the way with his staff raised while being carried/protected by the angel of God, and that got me to thinking...

Our devotions between today and tomorrow will cover the putting on of God's armor (a review: belt of truth, breastplate of righteousness, readiness given by the gospel of peace, the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God) as we prepare to go on the march for our God. And I would ask each of you--how much of the armor are you putting on? You know, Anne and the kids and I got on a plane and flew a ways to play a part in this operation to save others from the slavery to death that the devil uses, but that doesn't make YOUR role any less important. Indeed, you are, in many ways, more important than Anne and I and the kids...I firmly believe it is your faithful prayers for us and for the saving of those who don't know Jesus Christ that tips the balance as we face our foe, who has considerably more experience at this than we do. But, then, He doesn't serve the God I do.... As we study and read our bibles and pray and confess our sins and seek the forgiveness and will of our gracious God, won't you join us? Commit yourself to the righteousness and holiness to which you are called, and for which God has sent His son and Holy Spirit to to prepare you.

We love you all. The time of the Lord's favor is NOW. Join us, and live in that favor.